First Look – Cinema trailers for autumn 2019: Blockbusters and awards season treats

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker provides the final chapter of the current Star Wars storyline when it opens this Christmas Photo: LucasFilm

Archant

The autumn is one of the busiest and most important times of year for cinema releases with studios looking for awards-season hits as well as family-friendly blockbusters. Here’s what’s in store for the rest of the year

Jumanji: The Next Level brings our intrepid explorers back into the jungle for more comic hi-jinks Photo; Sony

As August draws to a close, so does the three-month long summer blockbuster season. Superheroes start to pack away their spandex, stuntmen take their high performance cars into the garage for a tune up before the next season of chase sequences begin and the special effects gurus stop animating spaceships and start turning 21st century locations into 19th century back alleys as film-makers start eyeing up the fast-approaching awards season.

The autumn is prime Oscar and BAFTA territory as award-hungry films have to have played at least one week in a commercial cinema before December 31 in order to be in the running for the major trophies to be announced in February.

But, it's not just elite movies which will be clamouring for our attention. October half-term, Halloween and the run-up to Christmas all means that there will be plenty of family-friendly fare available at your local picturehouse.

Cinema still offers the best environment to see a film. It's a communal experience. We all laugh, gasp and cry together as the story unfolds on the big screen. There's nothing like it.

Here is a glimpse of what's on offer this autumn at your local cinema (both large and small) Please be aware that release dates can change. Three movies shifted their release dates during the time it took to compile this list.

An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. He uncovers secrets which challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play.

Shaun The Sheep 2: Farmageddon

Director: Richard Starzak Starring: Justin Fletcher, Jason Sparkes

Classic animation from Aardmann Studios. When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.

'Black and Blue' is an action thriller about a rookie cop (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her (Tyrese Gibson) as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.

Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrence meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

From director Ken Loach, writer Paul Laverty and the award-winning team behind I, Daniel Blake, this is a powerful exploration of the contemporary world of work, the gig economy and the challenges faced by a hard-up delivery driver trying to hold it all together.

A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student.

Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

Kate is a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa's elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.

American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966

Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, Motherless Brooklyn follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna.

A timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbour.

A team of friends return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own but discover that nothing is as they expect. The players need to brave parts unknown, from arid deserts to snowy mountains, in order to escape the world's most dangerous game.

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